Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1194291
B M & T ••• September/October 2019 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 11 businesses I understand well enough to follow up with or refer to others. Nearly 40 people comprised the Executive Staff and Planning Committee, so it is no wonder their expectations were stellar. Among them were two major objectives: • To help Black people build wealth that can be transferred intergenerationally • To make Black people the number one employer of Black people in the 21st Century. These were supplemented by six personal goals (envisioned for participants: • Double your streams of income • A 50% increase in business relationships with Black people • A 25% annual decrease in purchasing from companies that do not support Black people • Save and/or invest at least 10% of your annual income • Make sure that you, your children and grandchildren are properly insured • Save one child other than your own with a special emphasis on Black boys How, one might wonder, does a conference generate conversation around goals that reflect some major shifts in the way Black people cur- rently do business? One way was through having six to eight Power Talk Speakers present short Master Classes every morning or afternoon in ple- nary sessions called, Big Ideas that Matter. Following a brief break, the large group dispersed into smaller workshops facilitated by transforma- tional speakers, such as Dr. George Fraser, Dr. Rashida Mendes, Bishop James Dixon and the Black Wealth Alliance, Dr. Emma Fraser-Pendleton, and Body Language Expert, Linda Clemons. Dr. Terrence Cash, Platinum Sponsor, not only led workshops on investing and successful business creation, he also hosted private nightly Wealth Receptions open to any- one who used a RSVP code in the 43-page con- ference program. The First Financial Security group brought representatives from across the country to connect attendees with their financial education programs and teach ways of accessing innovative financial products. Fifty exhibitors provid- ed daily opportunities for people to achieve the goal of increasing business relationships with Black people by 50%. To increase exhibitor exposure, the conference planners strategically placed the registration check in at the far end of a major exhibit aisle. While the extensive number of pro- grams limited the time available to visit vendors, PNC added in a lavish reception with refreshment stations spread throughout the three exhibitor aisle ways. Exhibitors used various strategies to attract visitors. Over 100 attendees exchanged cards at The Information Diva's exhibit for her free book. "A Woman's Guide to Getting the Most from the PNC." The Purses, Pumps and Power Network gave purple packs with helpful business resources and scheduled appointments. At the Speakers Magazine exhib- it people got a pitch on becoming an author or speaker along with infor- mation-rich copies of Speakers digest. The booth that drew visitors well past 9:30 nightly was the Entrepreneur Academy who fulfilled their mis- sion "to make technology easy "by having a professional booth for visitors to "share their story with the world" through a free mini podcast. They have already registered to be exhibitors again next year as have about 40% of this year's exhibitors and participants. Some would like to see better 'deals' for exhibitors - attendees who miss most of the sessions while at their exhibits. Dr. Fraser's emphatic launch of Fraser Nation was the most unex- pected component of PNC 2019. Interacting with FraserNet COO, Delano A. Johnson, they revealed the magnificent black and gold flag for the new nation and explained the mystic symbols representing the transfer of millions of Africans out of Africa via slave ships, and herald- ed the timeliness of launching FraserNation . Their belief, shared by 136 illustrious founders, is that "reasoned change at the proper time, is key to a better life and finds it untenable that the Creator intended for 'post-slavery ' descendants, in the world's richest nation, to languish as 'mentally-enslaved', criminalized and marginalized beggars. "In rolling out the vision for this new nation, Dr. Fraser noted that it will require a "complete, objective, psycho-social-emotional and eco- nomic autopsy. "Much will have to be evaluated regarding our strengths, weaknesses, levels of mistrust, and the bounty of lessons learned particularly by the older generation. Millennials are especially being encouraged and recruited to help bring about this paradigm shift. This nation-building focus connects to an ongoing Fraser Net initiative to "accelerate the re-birth of a new breed of Citizens of Generational Wealth, who will be poised to earn, learn and return future generations to our Ancestral standards of excellence." The African dignitaries attending the conference confirmed there is a widen- ing acceptance of the need for a new nation, not identi- fied by geographical bound- aries, but by a desire to final- ly re-unite the brilliance, wealth, culture and heritage of people of the African Diaspora worldwide with Africa as our home base. Conference attendees gave rousing support for this con- cept as they concluded with an Oath and the assurance that "FraserNation is poised for this journey with the plan, the passion and the performance history. Some attendees expressed doubt, while most that I spoke with were excitedly optimistic about the broadened economic power we will have when the goal of 1 million members (citizens) is reached. I plan to return to PNC July 8-11, 2020 and see how the FraserNation saga is unfolding. Millennials will be especially recruit- ed through a surprise announcement from FraserNet in January. Because the planning committee found the hotel to be exceptional in meeting its requirements, the Houston Hilton America will be the location again. My plan is to keep the wonderful resources I collected close at hand, review and practice the five Power Network Networking Protocols, and before spending any money, seek a Black vendor first. Entrepreneur Mike Roberts hangs with PNC Attendees